The present disclosure relates to boat trailers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a rotating trailer hitch for a boat trailer.
For towing purposes, user of boats will position the boat atop a boat trailer during transport of the boat. The boat trailer typically includes a main, support section that is sized to support the entire boat. Thus, the support section is typically at least as long as the entire length of the boat. A towing arm typically extends forwardly from the support section such that the towing arm increases the overall length of the trailer. The towing arm can be attached to a towing vehicle using a hitch. Due to the size requirements of the support section and the towing arm, the boat trailer is usually longer than the boat that it carries. As a result, storing certain sized boats and their trailers in a confined space, such as in the boat owner's garage, can be difficult, if not impossible. This storage constraint often forces some people to buy smaller boats, as they do not have access to storage space that is large enough to contain the large trailer.
On the other hand, many boaters have a near fanatical devotion to their sport and refuse to sacrifice the size of the boat in order to accommodate a small storage space. Consequently, some boaters resort to expensive and time consuming measures in order to store a boat of a desired size. For example, some boaters have been known to enlarge the sizes of their garage spaces in order to create sufficient room to store boats indoors.
Other boaters may purchase specialized boat trailers where the front of the trailer, specifically the front towing arm area, can be adjusted in size to fit within small areas. There currently exist trailers with hinged towing arms that swing out of the way to a stowing position when not in use, so that the towing arm does not increase the overall length of the trailer when the trailer is in storage. Such devices use tubes that are welded or glued to the sides of a trailer front arm. The tubes are aligned with one or more holes on plates positioned on a rotating towing arm. A pin is then inserted into the tubes and the holes of the plates such that the pin acts as an axis of rotation to permit the towing arm to be rotated to the stowing position when not in use. The process of welding the tubes and plates to the towing arm and trailer arms can be time consuming, which can add to the overall manufacturing cost of the trailer. In addition, the welds between the tubes and the trailer arms can act as points of failure for the towing trailer, especially if the welds are not strong enough to properly secure the tubes to the trailer. Further, cold (or underbead) cracking can occur after the welded joint has cooled. This can be extremely troublesome since cracks are hidden beneath the weld and aren't revealed by surface inspection.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an improved pivoting trailer hitch.